The Other Side of Mandy
by BlueShift5
Summary: Mandy has a cousin. He's a wizard, and he has a birthday "gift" for her thirteenth birthday!
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own any of the characters from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy!**

**A/N: Mandy has a cousin. A favorite cousin. A favorite male cousin. The only cousin she has, really. He's a wizard, and he has a birthday "gift" for her. Friendship/humor/drama/fluffyness. Rated M for character death in a future chapter.**

**The Other Side of Mandy**

**Chapter 1: Max**

**Prologue**

She was only ten, just hitting puberty. Her body was beginning to change, and so was her attitude towards me. I had just moved into a my new place close to the college that I was attending, and it just so happened to be close to the school of my nubile young cousin. She'd always been very precocious as a child, and a bit on the bossy side. Well, maybe very bossy! Now, with her hormones beginning to kick in, I wondered what she would be like in a few more years. She was already pretty cute, I thought, but when she wasn't with me, she scowled constantly. She disliked most everyone, and hated the rest, but did have a couple of friends she "tolerated." One was a boy she had known practically all her life, and the other was the Grim Reaper. Billy was the boy's name, the skeleton she just called "Grim."

When I was still living at home, her parents would drop her off whenever they needed a babysitter. Seems like I was one of the few people they trusted, and the only one she actually wanted to stay with. Why not? I played with her all the time when she was little, and besides, I had all her favorite games. We'd stay up late at night, watching TV and playing video games. Sometimes she'd fall asleep before her parents came to pick her up, then I'd carry her out to their car. Or, if we were lucky, they'd call early, and ask if she could stay the night. It was always okay by me, and she'd be jumping for joy. I'd let her sleep in my bed, while I slept on the floor in a sleeping bag, but in the morning, I'd always find her on the floor, next to me, curled up in my arms.

As I got older, it seemed inappropriate for her to be hanging out with me, so we started seeing less and less of each other. Only the occasional family dinners brought us together. Usually it was held at a restaurant, so there was no place for the two of us to socialize.

**Max**

We hadn't seen each other in a while, when she suddenly called me up, out of the blue.

"Hey cousin! Whatcha been up to?" My eyes grew wide with recognition, and a huge smile crossed my face. I had just been thinking about her only minutes earlier.

"Mandy?! Wow, it's good to hear your voice! What's up little cuz?"

"Not much. I was just reminiscing, and you kinda crossed my mind."

"We did spend a lot of time together when you were younger. I didn't get to see you all of last year 'cause I moved into a dorm after I graduated high school. You must have grown some! It's been nearly two years since I last saw you!" I closed my eyes, trying to visualize what she looked like now.

"Yeah! I missed seeing you!" She sounded cheerful enough. I flopped onto the sofa, tossing a pile of books on the floor in the process.

"I just moved into my new living quarters, and finally settled in. Just in time before the new school year starts. What are you up to today?"

"My parents went off for the weekend and left me in charge. I hate it when they do that! Makes me feel . . . unwanted, ya know?" she sighed.

"Well," I laughed, "you do have a tendency to initmidate them! Where are your friends?"

"Billy has Grim for the weekend. His folks took them to Lake Muskeeto to go camping. They invited me, but I didn't feel like fighting off a blood-sucking swarm of pests. If I stayed home, then I'd only have one blood-sucking pest to deal with!"

"Irwin?" I chuckled.

"You remember him?"

"The boy who's a vampire-mummy, and was at one time, even a werewolf? How can I forget!"

"I just know he'll be 'bugging' me all day!" she moaned, exasperated.

"Hey! I got an idea!" I sat up. "Why don't we spend the day together, like old times? I've got nothing to do but lay around the house! We could go see a movie, and have a pizza later! Then I can catch up with what's been going on with my favorite little cousin!"

"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea, but remember, there's that seven year age difference between us. There are a lot of stupid people out there who could get the wrong impression!"

"Well, I don't care! I haven't seen you in a while, and I wanna see you! Get yourself ready, and I'll pick you up in half-an-hour!"

"Okay . . . Max!"

Mandy kept a special wardrobe, much different from her familiar pink sun dress, her "going out with Max" clothes. Loose fitting jeans, denim jacket, and a pink tanktop. She liked to have pink somewhere on her person. I had just rung the doorbell, and heard her voice.

"Be right there!" she hollered excitedly. I imagined she was straightening out her clothes, brushing her little pink outfit with her pudgy little hands. My little pink, pudgy cousin. She finally opened the door, and we stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments before she broke into a big smile.

"Well?" she said as she opened her arms wide.

I smiled back, looked over her head and around the room. "Hi! . . . is Mandy home?" I said.

"Stupid! It's me!" she growled, then punched me in the chest. I put my hands to the sides of my face in feigned surprise.

"Ohmigawd! It is you! What happened? You're . . . you're . . . beautiful!" I dropped to one knee. "Marry me! I don't care if you are my cousin! We'll move someplace where nobody knows us!"

"Cute. You know you're full of crap, plus you're embarrassing me!" She opened up and started laughing. Seems like I was the only one who'd ever made her laugh and smile.

I took Mandy into my arms, and gave her a bear hug, lifting her into the air. "It's been a while! I miss seeing you!"

"I missed you too!" she groaned as I squeezed the air out of her.

"C'mon, let's get going," I told her, "I sense nerd energy approaching!"

"You too, huh?" We were both right. Not two minutes after we hopped into my car and started rolling down the street, we saw Irwin's rotund form making it's way up the block, a tiny flower in his hand.

"Your personal stalker?" I snickered.

"Ehh! It was all Billy's fault! If he hadn't jumped into my head and possessed my body, none of this would ever have happened. Before that, Irwin was deathly afraid of me! Now, even if I were to beat him to a pulp, he still wouldn't leave me alone!"

"Masochistic tendencies, huh?"

"Maso . . . wha?!" I laughed. As intelligent as she was, she was still a little naïve about things of that nature. I liked that she wasn't growing up too quickly.

"I could mix you up a potion to make him stop following you around!" She raised an eyebrow, and regarded what I had just said. Half of her doubted what she heard, the other half knew there was truth behind it.

"Are you still into that alchemy magic stuff?"

"We're both descended from the oracles of Delphi," I reminded her, "and it's only natural that at least someone in the family maintains a tradition in the magic realm. That boy has a dark side to him. It'll be better if I end this attraction he has for you." She gave me a look of her approval.

"Fine then. You won't get any arguments from me!"

"That's settled then! Now, what would you like to do today?"

"How about that movie and pizza you were talking about earlier?"

We took in a matinee at the mall theater. A zombie movie. She likes anything to do with zombies. It fascinates her for some strange reason, and she also likes getting the crud scared out of her! Maybe it was the whole idea of eating someone's brain that appealed to her! She's weird in that respect. For me, it just brought up a different thought. Necromancers. I've had my share of run-ins with them, even had to take a few down. My library is full of their confiscated writings.

Hardly anyone goes to an early matinee anymore. There was just a handful of people in there, and the theater was ice cold as a result, further enhancing the movie's dark theme. Fortunately, she had brought a jacket with her. I wasn't so lucky. Every so often, a zombie would jump up, and she would shriek, then dig her fingers into my arm. That alone kept me warm.

We went to nearby pizza parlor after the movie, and sat in a booth. I checked my wallet, not for money, but I kept various packets of powders in it. I pulled out a few, and stuffed the wallet back in my pocket.

"What are these for?" she asked.

"For getting rid of pests." I smiled. "You sprinkle a little on the pest's food, and they go away!"

"Oh!" she smirked as she looked them over, and seemed to understand exactly what I meant. Our pizza arrived at the same time as an unwanted "pest."

I assumed it was an acquaintance of Mandy's. She had orange hair in a ponytail, and a smile that looked like it was painted on!

"Hey Mandy! Who's your friend? Can I sit next to him?" The red-haired girl doesn't wait to be asked, but just slams her hip into mine's, knocking me further into the booth. Mandy glowered at her.

"Max, this is Mindy. Mindy, this is my cousin Max." she said through her clenched teeth.

"Pleased to meet you, Mindy."

"The pleasure's all your's!" she giggled.

I could just see the daggers flying out of Mandy's glaring eyes . . . long, covered in rust, and tipped with foul poisons. Mindy was oblivious to them.

"Um . . . would you like to join us?" I asked out of politeness.

"Don't mind if I do!" I could tell right away she had no interest in talking with Mandy, and choose, instead to focus all her attention on me. She wrapped her arm around mine, much to the ire of Mandy, and seemed to delight in it.

"I've known Mandy practically all my life! . . . blah blah blah . . . I like your eyes! . . . blah blah blah . . . I'm going to modeling school! . . . blah blah blah . . ."

Mandy was fuming as she tore open one packet, then another . . . and another! Mindy was too distracted to notice, as Mandy cut her a slice of pizza, then dumped the entire contents of all three packets onto it! I raised an eyebrow, but maintained eye contact with Mindy. She did have pretty eyes. I interrupted her chattering.

"Better eat your pizza before it gets cold!" Mandy shoved the plate in front of her.

"Thank you, Mandy!" she says, then takes a small bite. I'm praying she doesn't take another! The powders begin to take effect almost immediately. Mandy's eyes popped open as an enormous pimple appeared on Mindy's face.

"Gross, Mindy! A huge zit just popped up in the middle of your forehead!"

"What?! Really?!" She tore open her bag to get a mirror. By then, three more whoppers had surfaced on her chin. She stared in wide-eyed horror as the pimples kept coming.

"Aauughh! I've got to get home right away! Ohmigosh! People must be staring at me already! Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! Which way outta here?" Mindy put her head in a paper bag, then rushed off without even saying goodbye.

**End Chapter 1**

**A/N: What can I say. Mandy's a little OOC, what with her smiling and laughing, and the Universe is not turning inside-out on itself. Just bear with it for awhile, and she'll return to normal when Max leaves. Mandy's growing up, as little girls often do, so one could possibly imagine her thoughts turning to other things . . . besides ruling the world. In any case, I would like to think of her as pursuing either, or both, with her same ferocity.**

** Most everyone makes her out to be "evil" (she did save Christmas, and Halloween!), but I've never looked at her like that. Sure she's mean and self-serving in the series, but not all the time, and I've always wanted to write something different for her. So I've decided to indulge myself, and do this one story. It's pretty short, and you won't have to put up with it too long! Thanks!**

**(The Max in this story is not the same Max as in I am the Night's fic "Mandy of the Night." Because we had both started writing at about the same time, I had held off publishing this until I was satisfied his Max and my Max were of two different personalities. It was just coincidental that we picked the same name.)**


	2. Chapter 2 Little Pink Princess

**I do not own any of the characters from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy!**

**A/N: I neglected to say the story is written in three POVs: Max, Grim and Mandy.**

**The Other Side of Mandy**

**Chapter 2: Little Pink Princess**

I pushed Mindy's plate off to the side, so that we wouldn't eat her pizza by mistake.

"What exactly did those powders do, anyway?" Mandy asked.

"One produces a horrible outbreak of pimples from another dimension, another causes extreme paranoia, the last one makes you forget where you are! It's all just temporary, but her face is going to look like a jar of candy corn by the time she gets home!" Mandy lay down in the booth, and began rolling with laughter.

"One pest down, one to go!" she said as she sat up again. We finished off the pizza, then went clothes shopping for her.

Since I had missed her last two birthdays, I told her I'd buy her two complete outfits to make up for it, and she jumped at the offer. She had no female friends to go shopping with her, so I guess I'm the next best thing. Fortunately, I know a lot of girls, and they used to drag me along on their forays all the time, and I think I have a sense for current styles. I'm sure Mandy has an idea of what she wants. She does look great with what she has on today. I get to see a side of her that she never shows to anyone else, not even her own parents. She and I have always been like that. I make her smile, she makes me smile.

Mandy's sort of like a little sister to me, even more so since both of us are only child's. I remember when she was in her roly-poly phase, but that didn't last too long. I can't believe how good she looks at ten! She came out of the dressing room in some very short short, and sporting a bare midriff! I raised both eyebrows.

"Whadda you think?" she said as she spun around for me.

"Wow! Very sexy, but don't you think it's a little daring for a ten-year-old?" I teased. She looked at me sort of astounded.

"Ten? You think I'm **_ten_**? Idiot! You missed two of my birthdays!" she laughed, "I'm twelve, going on thirteen!"

"Really?" I said sheepishly, "That would make me . . ."

"Nineteen, going on twenty!" she completed my sentence.

"Almost a teenager, huh? Well, I guess that would explain why you look so good! We'll actually be teenagers together, if only for a short time!" My own birthday was a few more months away. She moved in quickly, and wrapped her arms around me.

"Thanks, Max" she said, with her face nestled against my chest. I touched the side of her cheek.

"It's getting late. I'll take you home now." We picked up all her packages, and headed for the car. On the way home we stopped at a chicken joint to get dinner, then continued back to her house.

We were starving by the time we got back.

"Didn't realize clothes shopping could make you so hungry!"

"Me neither!" Mandy said as she gnawed a corn-on-the-cob. I propped my chin up in my hands as I watched her.

"So . . . do you have a boyfriend?" I asked. She picked up a drumstick, and pointed it at me.

"Romance is for the weak minded!" she smirked. "How about you? You seeing someone?" She looked at me with some apprehension.

I put the back of my hand to my forehead, and one hand over my heart as I made some faraway look into the ceiling.

"Alas! I am a wizard of the First Order," I said like some ham actor, "and a descendent of oracles. In order for my powers to remain . . . uh, powerful . . . I, myself, must remain pure and chaste!"

"Sooo, . . . you're a virgin." she smirked.

"Thou hast struck me to the quick! You say it like it was a bad thing!" I protested. She smiled smugly back at me.

"I just think it's a shame, you being as good-looking as you are." I'm sure my expression must have changed when she said that, and I might have even turned a dozen shades of red.

"Wait a minute, now! I could say the same thing for you!" I retorted, pointing a finger at her. "You're as cute as any girl I know, you just scare all the guys away with your attitude! If you like, I could easily mix you up something to make you a little . . . 'friendlier'!" I raised an eyebrow, and grinned fiendishly.

"Don't you dare!" she glared at me, "I'm sure I'll change . . . some day . . . maybe. It's just that I haven't found anyone . . . who meets my . . . 'expectations' . . . yet." It almost sounded like a concession. It seemed amusing that she would even admit it, let alone say it out loud. I smiled broadly at her.

"Whaaat?!" she said somewhat annoyed. I continued smiling. She leaned towards me. "You and I have always been honest with each other, right?"

"Yes, we have!"

"Can you tell me why you have to maintain this 'Wizard of the First Order' thing?" I reclined back in my chair, and clasped my hands behind my head.

"It all began when I was ten. You would have been three at the time. My father had just been killed in a plane crash. My mother, and yours also, come from a long line of famous oracles. She knew it was going to happen, but was powerless to prevent it. I remember crying my eyes out, and asking her how I could prevent such things like that from ever happening again. 'Wizardry, alchemy,' she said, 'this is the path you seek. Learn all you can, then one day, you will be able to save a loved one.' She brought me before the most powerful wizards on the planet, and I learned from them until they had nothing more they could teach me. Although I was very young, I became a wizard with the First Order. They had never seen an apprentice so driven by a sense of urgency before. There are never more than seven of us at any one time. We'll either step down, retire, or if one of us dies, then a search ensues for a replacement. As I understand, I was the first new wizard to join the seven in over a hundred years. To stay at that level, we all must maintain a vow of celibacy, otherwise we could risk

weakening our powers. For the rest of the wizards it's easy because they're all a bunch of old fogeys! They're not interested in sex anymore. For me, being nineteen and all, it's a little more difficult." I sighed.

"So all your fellow wizards are, like . . . ancient?" she snickered.

"Fossilized!" I laughed. "Our magic gives us a very strong life force. While we can die, we're very, very hard to kill. But we're not immune to aging."

"Does this mean you'll never have a girlfriend?" she asked, seeming quite relieved. I smiled at her once more.

"Why do you ask? Where are you going with this line of questioning?" I definitely had her squirming, and she looked around nervously, trying to avoid eye contact with me.

"Well, I thought, maybe . . . if you weren't . . . and if I didn't . . . then we could . . ." I put my hand on her arm, and she stopped fidgeting.

"I know what you're trying to say, Mandy. It's all right for cousins to be together. It happens all the time, all over the world! It's just that, here, in our country, people are so concerned about birth defects, that first cousin couplings are considered unusual . . . but not unheard of. With us, it's more about our age difference, but in a few more years, it won't matter, and we can spend as much time together as we like!"

I looked at my watch. It was already late, so I stood up and began clearing off the table. "I'd better be going. It's getting dark. I had a really great time with you today, Mandy!"

"Awww!" she moaned, "Can't you stay the night? I could use the company, and it would be like old times again!" I sighed.

"I love you, Mandy, but I really . . ."

"Wait. What did you say?"

"I said I'd love to Mandy, but . . ." An impish grin appeared on her face.

"No, you didn't! You said 'I love you,' Mandy!" she giggled, "Wouldn't that be considered a Freudian Slip?"

She caught me off guard. My cheeks began to flush, and I gave her a wink. It was no secret between us, although we've never actually said the words.

She got up off her chair, put her face into my chest and said, "I love you too, Max!", then promptly poured her soda down my back.

"Ahhh! You little minx! You did that on purpose!" I said while shaking my shirt, trying to dislodge the ice cubes and soda, that were now creeping down into the crack of my butt!

"Yes! Now you'll have to stay until I finish washing and drying your clothes!" she said smugly.

"But I won't have anything to wear!"

"You can wear my dad's boxer shorts!" she laughed. The thought of wearing someone else's underwear repulsed me.

"Ehh! I don't think so," I frowned, "I'd rather wrap a towel around me."

"Cool! Just like in 'Risky Business'!"

"Tom Cruise had briefs on. A towel has the potential of falling off."

"I won't stare . . . much!" I gave her a blank stare, then the corner of my lips came up.

"Someday girl, you will pay!" I said in mock seriousness.

The next hour was spent in front of her television playing "Rock Star Wannabee" . . . in a towel, to the tune of "Zombie's Ball." The towel nearly slipped off a couple of times, but Mandy didn't see that . . . I hope she didn't! Anyway, my clothes were nice and warm, fresh out of the dryer.

"It's really late," she said, "sure you won't stay?"

"I guess I could, but no hanky panky! I'm on a mission, and I'll need my magic at full strength!"

"C'mon, I'm twelve years old . . ."

"Going on thirteen, horny girl!"

". . . and you're a virgin . . ."

"Go ahead! Rub it in, why don't you!"

". . . whadda we know about 'hanky panky'?" she smirked.

"You knew what it meant, didn't you!"

"You can sleep on my bed, and I'll sleep on the floor." she offered.

"No no no! You sleep on your own bed, and I'll sleep on the floor, same as before!"

"Fine then!" she snickered.

I lay there on the floor, in the darkness, in one of her sleeping bags. I'm still wide awake. Mandy was rolling about restlessly, on her bed. This room is her sanctuary, and only an honored few were ever allowed to sleep within its walls. Everything was pink. Pink walls, pink bed sheets, pink curtains, and pink bunny slippers. She even wore pink pajamas. It's such a little girls color, a feminine color. Would it ever change as she got older? I hope not. My little pink princess.

The clock on the wall told me it was about that time. I close my eyes and pretend to be asleep. She slips off the bed, and tip-toes her way quietly towards me.

"Are you sleeping?" she whispers quietly. I'm pretending to be, so I don't answer. She slips into my sleeping bag, and pulls my arm over her shoulders. Just like the good old days. My little pink princess.

**End Chapter 2**

**A/N: A Freudian Slip has to do with saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Like calling your current girlfriend/boyfriend by the name of your ex. Or meaning to say one thing while blurting out something else. In current usage, it is usually associated with some sexual thought.**


	3. Chapter 3 The Mission

**I do not own any of the characters from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy!**

**A/N: A little teasing between the two cousins. Nothing serious.**

**The Other Side of Mandy**

**Chapter 3: The Mission**

With Mandy safely tucked away under my arm, I can finally get to sleep. I won't need to have a wonderful dream tonight . . . she's already here beside me. I shifted slightly, then threw another arm over her.

"You're not really asleep, are you?" she whispered.

"Shhh," I whispered back, "I'm enjoying this, and you're ruining the moment."

"G'nite Max." she said, then snuggled up against me.

"Good night . . . 'love'."

The next morning I got up before Mandy. It was 7:30, and she was still fast asleep. I picked her up, and put her back on the bed. She was definitely a lot heavier than I remembered. Not like the old days! She murmured my name as I brushed the hair out of her face.

I headed downstairs to fix breakfast. First thing: brew some coffee. She drank coffee since she was eight. Black, no cream, no sugar. She started out quite the opposite while tasting her mom's coffee. My aunt liked her's sweet and creamy, and that's what originally got Mandy hooked. I worried that it would stunt her growth, but my mom assured me it was an old wives tale, and that Mandy would be fine.

The fridge seemed well stocked, so I was just beginning to plan what we were going to eat, when I heard her scream from upstairs. "Max!" she cried out, and I ran back up the stairs to her room as fast as I could.

"Where were you?" She was rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I was in the kitchen . . . trying to make us breakfast!" I panted.

Mandy flipped over on her bed, "In the kitchen, huh? . . . ," then looked at her stopwatch. "Four seconds. Not bad!" I crossed my arms, and gave her a baleful glare. I wasn't really mad . . . she just scared me, and she knew it.

"I'm sorry!" she said meekly, but obviously with some amusement. I sat down next to her on the bed.

"Don't scare me like that! Your folks are gonna come home tomorrow, and I'd like for us to have as great a time today as we had yesterday!" Her face lit up.

"Really?"

"Really!" Then I pulled off her black hair band, and mussed up her hair. "That's for last night!"

She sat there stunned for a few moments before realizing what I had done. Then her angry eyes came out. "Maaxx! You moron!"

I bolted back down the stairs to the kitchen with Mandy hot on my tail. If there's one thing she didn't like, it was for someone to mess up her "horns!" Mess with the horns, you get the bull! Heh heh!

**The Day Trip**

We took a drive along the coast. It was someplace she hadn't seen for a while, and far enough out of Endsville so that no one was likely to recognize us. Quaint little artist colonies popped up here and there along the way. We spent some time wandering in and out of curio and antique shops, munching on hotdogs and snowcones. A rock shop called out to me, and we went in. There, on a counter, sat a wonderful, polished piece of a very deep pink, rose quartz.

"Wow! I think this would be perfect for your room!" I told her. In the center of the otherwise perfect stone, was an inclusion, a solid bit of foreign matter surrounded by the quartz matrix. It looked exactly like Mandy's bed!

"I gotta get this for you, Mandy! This is sooo cool!" She smiled to see how excited I was. The shop owner was more than happy to see it go.

"We've had that for years!" he said, "We thought we could sell it as a novelty item, but no one was really interested in it, and if you like, I'll throw in this heart pendant! It's cut from the same stone, and there's another inclusion in it that looks like a guy with a towel wrapped around his waist!" I thought Mandy was going to keel over on the floor, and die laughing. I was beginning to turn red myself.

"They're perfect. I'll take 'em both." The owner smiled as he wrapped the two pieces in paper, and put them in a bag. Before we even left the shop, Mandy was putting that pendant on.

"I'm never taking it off! It'll always remind me of the other night when you were playing 'Rock Star Wannabee', and your towel almost fell off twice!" My eyebrows flew upwards.

"Wait. What? You saw that?!"

"Yeah! Can't wait to see that tattoo up close!" she smiled smugly.

"Y-you saw my tattoo?!" My jaw dropped.

"Why is it so far down?" She took some perverse delight in her discovery.

"Urrgghh!" I groaned. Pre-teens can be so irritating at times, and I wondered if I was like that to my fellow wizards of the Order. I must have pissed them off at times, too. Payback is a bitch.

She spyed a photo booth, and pulled me in. She just wanted to preserve the moment, and we did the usual goofy antics that everone does in them, but she also wanted a picture of me and her, . . . cheek-to-cheek, as a rememberance of this day.

**Sleepover: Second Night**

Her folks are returning tomorrow afternoon, and she wants me to sleep over one more night, but first I need to stop over at my place to pick up some fresh clothes. I am not gonna be caught wearing a towel like last night!

"Make yourself at home, Mandy. There's drinks and snacks in the kitchen, and you can check out my seventy-two inch flat screen!" I kicked off my shoes as we entered. She looked around in amazement at the size of my place.

"This is an apartment? It's huge! Looks more like a mansion!"

"Yeah, well, it's really a condominium. I own the entire complex!"

"How'd you manage that?"

"Can you keep a secret?" I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"Sure! What is it?" she pulled up close, and I whispered into her ear.

"I know how to turn lead into gold."

"Through your alchemy? Cool!"

"I'm gonna take a shower now. There's a bunch of dvds next to the TV. You can watch whatever you want."

"Can I watch you take a shower?" she grinned.

"No." I said flatly.

"But you said . . . !" she giggled.

"No!" I locked the door just to be sure she wouldn't sneak a peek, but inside I was laughing to myself. Those hormones are really starting to hit her hard!

As I showered, I thought about my mission. The time was drawing near, and the signs were all beginning to fall into place, just as I had foreseen them, starting with Mandy's phone call. I'll need to be on my toes in order for this to work. I've made all my plans and preparations, now all I have left to do is wait.

I feel nice and refreshed as I rub my hair dry. I smile into the mirror, checking to see if there's any bits of hotdog or relish stuck in there somewhere. I'd better brush just in case. We really don't look much like each other. She's blonde-haired, blue-eyed, while I've got brown eyes and black hair. I stick a little gel on my hair to spike it a bit.

"Hey Mandy?" I yell through the bathroom door, "Do you wanna take a shower, too?"

"Only if you're going to scrub my back." she says, trying to sound as sexy as a twelve year-old possibly could. I put on a pair of swim trunks and opened the door.

"Boy, you're pretty frisky today, aren't you?"

"Only with you Max, . . . only with you!" she laughed. Her constant teasing was starting to wear on me, so I took her into my arms, and looked deep into her eyes.

"Look, I have my mission to complete, and if I'm successful, I can spend more time with you, if you like." She looked back into my eyes.

"Promises, promises! Better be careful what you say, mister! I may take you up on it! Nice abs by the way!" I didn't have my shirt on.

"Wanna take a swing at 'em?" I smiled smugly.

"Don't mind if I do!" Mandy wound up, and hit me hard in the stomach. "Ouch!" she yelped.

"Like I told you before," I laughed, ". . . we wizards are really hard to kill!" Mandy shook her hand.

"And why is that?"

"Because in the old days, wizards were often called upon to fight demons and dragons. Being a wizard was a dangerous occupation back then, so they learned how to enhance their life-force, quadrupling them over ordinary humans. It acted like a built-in armor!"

"And you let me hit you knowing all this? You are such a jerk, you know!" she frowned.

"You're being too forward," I smiled apologetically, ". . . and it's getting to me. I'm sorry, but I needed to do something to cool you off . . . and myself, too!" I sighed. Her frown slowly grew into a smile.

"Am I affecting you that much?"

"Yes! We haven't seen each other for a couple of years, and suddenly we're together again . . . alone . . . for two whole days! You've changed, Mandy, you're no longer the short, pudgy little girl you were when I last saw you. In case you haven't realized it, you've become quite attractive!"

"Uh . . . 'pudgy'?"

I took her sore hand, and held it between mine's as I recited a healing spell, then kissed her fingertips, one . . . by . . . one.

"There, booboo all gone!" She gulped, then wiggled her fingers and looked up at me, seeming somewhat uncomfortable.

"I-I think I'll be needing that shower now." she said. I smiled as I threw her a fresh towel, and got her a bathrobe.

She came out of the bathroom wearing the T-shirt that I'd been wearing since yesterday.

"Why didn't you use the bathrobe I gave you?"

"I saw your shirt hanging there, and wanted to try it on." she said as she rubbed her hair with the towel.

"But . . . I've been wearing it all day . . ."

"I know. It has your scent. Mmmm." She brought the shirt up to her face, and inhaled deeply, all the while not taking her eyes off of my expression. Oh boy. She's sharp, this one. She was throwing my own game back in my face! I gulped, and told myself, _Calm down . . . calm down . . . breathe slowly . . . inhale . . . hold . . . exhale._

She's testing me. She's inexperienced at this sort of thing, but I've been feeding her ego all weekend, and she wants to find out if she's as desirable as I say she is, or am I just flirting with her. The truth is I'm just as inexperienced as she is. Nearly twenty, and still a virgin, but I have an advantage . . . I'm an intuitive psychic, and I can read people very well. Mandy is very insecure, plus she's also very cynical. She trusts me implicitly, but she's forcing me to walk that fine line between hurting her feelings, or jeopardizing my mission. If my mission fails, there may not be a future for either of us. Maybe I should just give her a potion to put her to sleep. Bad idea. She might find out. Then she'd really be pissed.

She put her hands on my knees as I sat on the sofa.

"Dry my hair?" she asks.

"Uh . . . sure." I go get a brush and blow-dryer from the bathroom. Mandy plays a video game as I begin to dry her hair, but puts it down after a few minutes. She sits silently as we listen to the whine of the blow-dryer.

"Max?"

"Yeeesss?" I replied a bit cautiously.

"Thanks." she said softly.

"For drying your hair?" I laughed.

"No, dummy! For treating me like a queen this weekend!"

"I am but your humble servant, your highness." She smiled as I put away the blow-dryer. "I don't know about 'queen', but you'll always be my little princess!" I gave her a big squeeze from behind, and placed my chin on the top of her head. She clung to my arms.

"What's for dinner, 'humble servant'?"

"What would you like?"

"Nothing heavy. I expect to do some more cuddling with my 'love' tonight!"

"Oooo! And what makes you think we'll be cuddling tonight?" I teased. She turned around.

"Because I own you!" and poked her finger into my chest for emphasis. We smiled at each other. She's right. I'd do anything for her. Die even. Hope it doesn't come to that!

"I've got cold cuts in the fridge. Bread, cheese, lettuce, pickles, chips and soft drinks. Light enough for you?"

"Sounds perfect!"

"Wanna spend the night here instead of going back home? At least my bed is big enough so no one has to sleep on the floor!"

"But I don't have anything to wear!"

"I'll lend you a fresh T-shirt . . . or a towel. Take your pick!" I grinned.

"T-shirt. Got one in pink?"

"Mebbe. I got one from you a couple of years ago for Christmas. It was way too small for me, but may fit you just right!"

We ate our sandwiches, then played video games. She kicked the holy crap out of me! Watched a movie and a half. We were trying to squeeze every last second out of our weekend together, but I watched as her eyelids slowly grew heavier, and heavier, until she finally conked out on the sofa. I picked her up and carried her to my bed. Somehow she didn't seem quite so heavy anymore. I knelt down by her side, and just watched her for a few minutes.

The light from the street faintly illuminated her features, and I put my face down close to her's, just inches away, folding my arms up under my chin. I listened to her softly breathing, and wondered if we would ever be together like this again. She looked so peaceful, my little hellion, and I was sorely tempted to plant a kiss on her lips. Who knows if I'll ever have another chance. But my mission is paramount, and I must keep to my vows. A tear slowly crept its way down across my cheek. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep, but soon felt her fingers in my hair.

"Get up here," she whispered, "you owe me a cuddle."

The next morning I took her to the local pancake house for breakfast, then headed back to her place. Billy and Grim had just come back from camping, and Billy jumped all over Mandy as soon as he saw her. Mandy, being Mandy, threw him over the fence, and into Mr. Skarr's petunia bed. Grim and I stared at each other from a distance before we finally waved hello. He seemed quite disturbed at seeing me again. I already knew why.

**End Chapter 3**

**A/N: Okay, okay. When Max kissed her fingertips, he made her "moist." (It's called "transudation" or "exudation!" Betcha didn't know there was a word for it!). So now she has to shower.**

"**Rock Star Wannabee" is obviously a reference to Guitar Hero!**

**That's all for Max's POV. Grim is next.**

**(I don't want to rush through this, but I am going on a trip soon, so I wanted to get Max's POV out of the way quickly.)  
**


	4. Chapter 4 Confrontation

**I do not own any of the characters from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy!**

**A/N: Grim's POV for the next couple of chapters. Thank you for allowing me to build on my OC's personality, and the storyline! Rated M for character death.**

**The Other Side of Mandy**

**Chapter 4: Confrontation**

Max and I had first met several years ago. Though he was very young, I could sense in him a very powerful, magical aura. The youngest full wizard I'd ever met. It was when Billy and I tricked Mandy into puttin' on the Mask of the Beast dat I first saw him. He removed the mask as easily as one might flip a light switch, and he also did the same when Eris' apple of Chaos turned all of us into some chocolate milk spewin', cow/walrus/crab, thingy. He is rather protective of her, and I suppose I can respect him for dat.

I didn't want to tell him dat his precious cousin's name appeared on my list of souls to be collected, but I think he already knew. However, if there's one thing I learned from bein' on this job, it's dat no one but no one, can prevent the death of someone who's name appeared on the list. It jes' couldn't be done.

Billy and I had jes' come back from campin', and he ran over to Mandy's as soon as we got home. He might as well, . . . she wasn't goin' ta be around for much longer. In some ways I felt sad. As bossy as she was, she did show some genuine concern for me on numerous occasions, even took me to the Underworld Hospital when I came down wit Encroachin' Doom Syndrome. She changed a lot as she grew older, and Max probably had somethin' to do wit dat. She was a bear in dat two year stretch when she didn't get to see him. I jes' know I'm gonna miss her, but I've got a feelin' I'm goin' ta go head-to-head wit Max before dat happens. Her time is runnin' out.

Although I've met a lot of mortals in my time, I've never really gotten to know any of them. Billy and Mandy were different. They challenged me for the life of a stupid, decrepit hamster, and they won. Partly it was my fault for offerin' to become their "best friend forever" if I lost, Jes' me overconfidence talkin'. But I lost, and became what Eris called a "pet" to these kids. I despised them at first, but they grew on me, and eventually became the closest thing to mortal friends dat I have.

Now they'll be separated, and I'm havin' mixed feelin's. I'm headin' for a showdown wit Max, but it's pointless. Even if he were to destroy me, even if he could destroy me, Mandy would still die, because I'm not the one who pulls the strings. It's Fate. Somethin' she decides will cause her death, and there's nuthin' dat Max, or I, can do about it. And it will involve Irwin.

Max asked me to meet him in the park. Midnight. I really don't know dat much about him except dat he and Mandy are very close. Much more than mere friendship, yet not somethin' even I would consider as romantic. It was somethin' . . . else, . . . not even realized by the two of them. She shares an affection wit him dat I cannot explain, definitely one dat surpasses even the unspoken link between her and Billy.

I expect he'll try to take me little black book by force, and try to alter, or even delete her name from it. It's a fool's errand. No one but me can even touch this book, and even I can't change what is written inside. I hold me scythe close. He's sittin' on the park bench jes' ahead of me.

"Hello Grim," he sez, "Thanks for meeting with me on such short notice."

"I suspect dis is more than jes' a social visit. Shall we skip the pleasantries, and get down to what it is you really want?" He looked up at me as my grip tightened on me scythe.

"Have a seat, Grim, I'm not here to fight you." he said quite calmly. I glared suspiciously at him.

"This is about Mandy, isn't it?"

"Please, . . . have a seat, and let me explain why I asked you here." Me fingers clenched tightly around "Jody" as I sat down next to him. She was my lifeline, the strongest weapon in me arsenal. If I lost her, I don't think I could match his magic.

"Ten years ago," he began, "I lost my dad in a plane crash. It was at that same instant, I had a vision of Mandy dying on her thirteenth birthday."

"Heh! Lucky thirteen." I grinned.

"I just couldn't have that happening, Grim, to have just lost my father, then learn I would lose my only cousin. I became a wizard for the express purpose of saving her." I had him pegged wrong, but still, there was nothin' I could do about it.

"I'm sorry, Max. As much as I'd like to, I can't help ya. You must realize this. What is it, exactly, dat 'cha want from me?"

"I just want to coordinate with you, where, when and how she will die. Surely you won't begrudge my request?" The request was so unusual dat I was still very skeptical.

"Do you have some kind of plan?"

"My plan is simple. I will let her die, then give her half of my wizard's life-force. I've created a potion designed to transfer exactly half of it to her. It should be more than sufficient to revive her, without killing me also. In order for this to work properly, she must first lose all of her own life-force. I must admit I'm not entirely comfortable with doing it like this, because I cannot be absolutely sure she will survive, but I will not interfere with her fate. I should, however, be able to tweak it." I scoffed.

"Seein' as how I don't think what yer about to attempt is possible, . . . why not?"

"In my premonition, I saw her dying on the street from a traffic accident." he said. I flipped through the pages of me black book.

"Yep. On her thirteenth birthday, two in the afternoon, in front of Irwin's house." He raised an eyebrow.

"Irwin?"

"Yes. You know Irwin. Chubby kid, glasses, bow tie, . . . nerd."

"Just a couple more days." he sighed. He looked deep in thought, then frowned. "Irwin . . ." he repeated.

"Does he have somethin' to do wit any of this?" I asked. Max hung his head, lookin' down at the sidewalk.

"I told Mandy I'd do something about this crush he has on her. My failure to act on it has set the wheel of fate in motion, and now, I've become a part of the equation that will ultimately result in Mandy's death. There is an evil side to Irwin that is wound up so tight that it's going to snap soon. It's too late to fix it now. I'll just have to cross my fingers, and see what happens. Thank you, Grim." He got up to leave.

"You shouldn't blame yourself, after all, this is fate we're dealin' wit." He looked up at the stars.

"There is a path the Universe would like to see all of us take. It's called destiny. However, each of us has also been given freewill, and whether we choose to follow that path or stray from it, then that becomes our fate. It is a decision we, as individuals, make."

"So yer sayin' there's a difference between destiny and fate?"

"When destiny and fate intertwine, then you have harmony. When you decide to leave the path that the Universe has laid out for you, then that becomes your fate. The Universe does not hand out bum assignments."

Didn't think he'd get dat one right! I watched him as he walked off into the darkness. I jes' know I'm not goin' to get any sleep tonight.

**The Smoothie Shop**

I decided I'd spend a day wit Mandy, seein' as how she wasn't goin' ta be around for much longer. It was good timin', since she was usually happy . . . um, maybe dat's too strong a word . . . less angry lookin' . . . after a visit from Max. She'd even been willin' to do her own chores for a change! I asked her if she'd like to go to the mall for smoothies . . . jes' me and her . . . my treat. Billy had gone to the aquarium wit his cousin, Nergal Jr., who was fascinated by squids and electric eels, he bein' a mixture of both in his true form.

I watched Mandy slurpin' on her smoothie, all pink and fleshy . . . havin' skin and all. I sighed, and wondered what she would look like, wit all dat gone. She looked up from her glass.

"Why are you staring at me, Bonehead?"

"Oh, uh . . . no particular reason! Jes' daydreamin', I guess. Sorry." Over the years I'd come to regard the name as more of a term of endearment, rather than an insult.

"Then why are you being so nice to me?" Still cynical as always.

"Well, because I hadn't seen ya all weekend, and you've been doin' all yer own chores for the past few days, so I thought I'd do somethin' nice for ya. Besides, yer birthday's tomorrow, and yer finally becomin' a teenager!"

"Ugh! Don't remind me. But . . . thanks. You can be a sweetheart sometimes, you know?"

_"Sweetheart?" She's called me a __lot__ of things before, but never "sweetheart!"_

"I've got a question for you, Grim."

"And what's dat, child?"

"Max and I went to see a zombie movie the other day, and I was wondering if zombies can be considered 'living'." I chuckled.

"Livin' undead?! Let me make one thing perfectly clear! They are not alive. Dat zombie invasion we had a few years back was caused by the infusion of evil powder black magic, which acts as a substitute life-force, a re-animator. They may be movin' around, but they have no real life in them. They are soulless creatures. Once life leaves a body, it cannot be collected and stuffed back into it. Those necromancers are always screwin' things up, tryin' to create artificial life. Real life must come from another livin' source. A baby, when it is first conceived, takes it's initial life from both parents, but is helped along greatly by it's mother's life-force. It's a delicate balance durin' those initial months. Too much givin' or takin' could result in the death of one, or even both."

"So, a mother nurtures her child with her own life until the child can sustain itself?"

"Dat is correct, yes." I nodded.

"You said that life must come from another living source. Would it be possible to extract, say, a small amount from several people, and transfer it to someone who really needed it?"

_What is the girl drivin' at? Does she know somethin'? I'll jes' play along for now!_

"No. I told ya, life-force is a very delicate balance. Ya can't measure it like you would a block of butter. Some people need all of their's, while others could possibly get by on less. It would be a guessin' game at best, to see who could, and who couldn't, give up portions of their life. In all my days on the job, I've never seen a transfer done, and I'd have to say it is impossible."

"Has no one ever tried?"

"Oh, plenty have tried, all right. Not a single one has ever succeeded!"

"Uh-huh. For a guy who deals in death, you sure know a lot about life." She drained the last bit of smoothie from her cup, then we left.

"I know it's a bit early, Mandy, but, happy birthday."

"Thanks, Grim! You're a pal!" Then she hugged me. She gave _me_ a hug? _"Sweetheart?"_ _"Pal?"_ I feel like cryin'! I jes' know I'm gonna hate meself. Tomorrow afternoon. Two o'clock.

**End Chapter 4**

**A/N: Throughout the series Grim gets run over roughshod by a number of antagonist. He gets beat up by a tricycle, a bunch of pint-sized nuns, and even Sperg makes him cry. Hoss beats up on him a couple of times, and Jack O'Lantern nearly cuts his head off. One should not be too concerned if he's worried about fighting Max! But then, this is only fanfic, and we writers like to imagine a lot of different scenarios.**

**This will be the last installment until I get back from my trip to Olympia, WA. in November.**

**Ookaayy. So now you know whose head is on the chopping block!**


	5. Chapter 5 A Death in the Family

**I do not own any of the characters from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy!**

**A/N: "A time to dance . . . a time to mourn . . ."**

**The Other Side of Mandy**

**Chapter 5: A Death in the Family**

**Two Lives for One**

Max was goin' to meet me near Irwin's house at one-thirty. He was definitely a force to be reckoned wit. I watched as Irwin's name faded in and out of my little black book several times throughout the mornin', and I can only assume dat Max was decidin' whether or not he should kill him outright. I had never seen anythin' like it happen before, in the Book of Souls. Maybe he was tryin' to get the book to switch Mandy's name wit the nerd's. Now there's a scary thought! If he could do dat, he could put anyone's name in it, . . . or remove it! At any rate, Irwin's name stopped doin' the disappearin' act as the time drew closer.

I met Max about a block away from the future site of Mandy's demise. We could see Irwin in his driveway, washin' his dad's clunky green sedan. Mandy was still a few blocks away, so we decided to get closer, concealin' ourselves behind a curtain of invisibility. It was a quarter to.

Irwin was wipin' the car down as Mandy came into view. He slicked his hair back at her approach.

"Hello, my golden-haired goddess! Would you care to take a blissful ride to paradise with me?" He smiled idiotically, and bobbed his eyebrows at her. I wanted ta puke.

"No, Irwin." she replied curtly.

"But why not, sugar dumpling honey bucket?" Mandy rolled her eyes up at him.

"Dweeb! Do you even know what a 'honey bucket' is?" He shrugged.

"I don't care . . . it sounds . . . nice!"

"Good. Why don't you take one to Mindy, and see how she likes it!" Irwin's brow furrowed.

"Hey, I spent a lot of time on this car just for you, yo!" She stared blankly at him.

"I don't care how many times you wash it on the outside, it still reeks of mummy dust on the inside!"

"Now you're getting personal!" he grumbled.

"Besides, you're too young to drive anyway," she continued, "and there's no way I'm getting in that car with you!"

"But you said you liked me!"

"Nope. Never happened. That was just Billy inside my head, messing with you!"

"You mean you lied to me?!" He was startin' ta get Mandy riled now.

"Look, Irwin. I've never liked you, and never will like you!" she hissed. "I thought you were a dork back then, and now, you're a creepy, stalking dork! So get over me!" Mandy began to walk away. There was a sound, a crack, like someone had jes' thrown a hammer through a plate glass window . . . somethin' had snapped in the chubby kid's mummified brain.

**"YOU FUCKIN' BITCH!"** he yelled. Mandy ignored him, and kept on walkin'.

He jumped into the car, started it up, and threw it in reverse, intent on runnin' Mandy over. Max was understandably anxious, but remained at my side. Irwin hit her with a sickenin' thud, and she rolled up onto the trunk. Max and I both winced. She rolled off as he hit the brakes, fell onto the road, and lay there, motionless. Irwin stuck his head out the window and gave a vile laugh.

**"Take that, you cock-tease whore!"** he spat, then sped off.

Max turned to me. "Is that it? Is she . . .?"

"Nope," I told him, ". . . jes' had the wind knocked out of her, dat's all."

We continued watchin' as Mandy began to stir, and slowly got up. She dusted herself off.

"Dork." she said under her breath. Max looked to me once more.

"Grim, if that wasn't it, then what is?" I kept me eyes on Mandy as she tried to limp off towards the sidewalk.

"She's standin' in the middle of the road now, and is about to be hit by dat speedin' semi comin' over the hill." Max was horrified.

"I know I can do this, Grim! I won't prevent her death because I've sworn not to interfere with the workings of Fate, but I need her body to be intact, not mangled and scattered all over the roadside! I won't have enough time to put her back together!"

He ran into the street and grabbed ahold of Mandy, shieldin' her wit his body jes' as the truck slammed into them, throwin' the pair into Irwin's yard. Not dat it did much good. Holdin' her in his arms had the same effect as puttin' her in a steel pipe, and shakin' her hard. The back of her skull cracked open as it hit his chest, and her neck snapped at the same time. Her arms and legs broke like twigs in a storm, blood vessels hemorrhaged, and shock stopped her heart faster than you can blink an eye. Mandy was killed instantly from the impact, her broken limbs twisted at odd angles. Blood and cerebral fluids oozed out of her ears and eyes, but at least her body remained in one piece.

Max sat up groggily, and sobbed as he fumbled in his pocket for dat special potion he had created jes' for this moment. I could tell he had already lost half of his wizard's life-force from the impact. He was not goin' to live if he succeeded in carrying' out his plan.

He straightened out her body as best he could, then he tore open one of his potion packets, and swallowed the contents. He knelt there for a few seconds while mumblin' an incantation, then bent over the lifeless form of Mandy, and pressed his lips to her's as his tears began to wet her face. He sat back up again, took Mandy's heart pendant in his hand, and held it one last time. I could see the last wisps of his life energy bein' exhaled, and driftin' over to her. "A birthday gift, just for you, my little princess." he whispered, then he turned to me, smilin'.

"At least I got to kiss her, Grim."

Wit dat said, he wavered a bit, . . . looked around as if he no longer knew where he was, . . . and closed his eyes. Mandy's one and only favorite cousin, Max, then doubled over, fell onto his back, . . . and died.

I was somewhat taken aback even though I had been expectin' it. The sight affected me somehow, and I don't quite understand why. As Reaper, I've had more than a few instances where the livin' begged me to take them instead of their loved one, but I couldn't do it, no matter how much they begged, or whatever they offered in exchange. Max was the only mortal I ever saw who actually managed to perform a life-force transfer. Mandy began to show signs of life once more, taking in a gasp of air, and I could tell all her major injuries were beginning' ta heal as well. Her broken bones seemed to straighten out beneath her flesh, and her arms and legs returned to their normal appearance. The very same life force dat protected a wizard in battle could also repair damage incurred afterwards. Too bad ole Max wasn't around to see it.

Was a shame, really. He wasn't on my list. But while Mandy's name disappeared from it, Max's name never appeared in her place. I knew he was dead, though, I am the Grim Reaper, after all, but, as I waited for his soul to appear, it never came. How strange. It jes' wasn't there, like he didn't have a soul, or nuthin'. How could such a selfless individual like him not have a soul? I couldn't detect it anywhere, and I had no idea what happened to it.

A crowd started to gather, and soon the fire department, then an ambulance, came to take Mandy to the hospital, and Max to the morgue. She still had a concussion, and was unconscious, but thanks to Max's energy, she would recover completely. I was curious ta see how she would react to his death.

Mandy bounced back quickly due to her increased life-force, leavin' the hospital after a couple of days of observations. No one told her about Max until they were sure she wouldn't have some kind of relapse. When she was finally told, she looked quite surprised. She sighed, and whispered a muffled, "oh," . . . jes' before her knees buckled.

I wasn't there. Billy told me. I didn't want to be there when she was told. I jes' know she would blame me for everythin'. Then things would start getting' really nasty. I avoided her like she had a case of the thousand year bone pox, and she never asked for me, or where I was. She would never understand dat I didn't take his life, . . . he had, quite literally, given it to her.

**Sorry**

I went to the chapel where the funeral services for Max were bein' held, more out of curiosity than anythin' else. It was a small affair, . . . some of Mandy's classmates, . . . some of his, . . . some family. I couldn't sit inside for obvious reasons, but I jes' had to find out what happened to his soul. It was me job, after all! I could see Mandy sittin' in the front row, head held high, suppressin' all signs of emotion as usual.

Max had been cremated, as wizards usually are, and this may have troubled her as she never got to look upon his face one last time. I was hopin' dat maybe a few of the other wizards would show up, and perhaps, gimme a clue as ta what happened to his missin' soul, but none of them ever came. I stood up to leave, and as I did, Mandy spotted me.

She left her seat up front, walked down the center aisle, and headed straight for me. With each step she took, the look on her face became angrier and angrier. I gulped, looked to me left and right, and thought about runnin' away, but at the last moment, decided to face her wrath instead. She grabbed me by the front of my robe, and dragged me into the parkin' lot, where she beat my ribcage like a taiko drum. She was madder than I had ever seen her! It wasn't my fault, but I let her whale on me to get it out of her system. I jes' prayed dat me poor old bones could stand up to all the punishment!

"You heartless bastard!" she shouted, "You killed him! You took him away from me!"

Those harsh words hurt even more than the poundin'! They cut me to the . . . well . . . they hurt a lot! She began to tire, and was soon puffing and panting.

"You damned monster! You stole his life! Whadda you have to say for yourself?! 'Oh, but it's my job'?!" she sneered.

"Ya don't understand! I didn't take his life!" I said, still tryin' ta remain calm.

"Liar!" she screamed.

"He wasn't the one on my list!"

"**Liar!**" she screamed even louder, "**If not him, then who?!**"

"It was you, Mandy! It was your name dat was in me book! You were already dead, but he gave you what was left of his life-force, and brought 'cha back!" She shook her head violently from side-to-side.

"Liar! **Liar! LIAR! YOU SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE! YOU FILTHY LIAR!**"

"He figured it out, Mandy. He learned how. He could do it!"

Mandy gasped, then suddenly went silent, her lips still tremblin'. Her eyes opened wide, bewildered, as a realization finally began ta strike home, and she released her hold on me robe. She began to speak softer, subdued, and cast her eyes downward.

"But . . . but he had this mission to complete, and he said once it was over, he would be able to spend more time with me." I sighed, then tried to explain to her.

"Ten years ago, he had a vision of you dyin' on yer thirteenth birthday, and he didn't want ta see dat happen. He became a wizard because of you. All of this was done for you! Don't 'cha see? You were the mission!" Her face instantly contorted, registerin' a look of shock and grief.

Mandy reeled at those words, stumblin' backwards, and I caught her by the arms. She had a strange, glazed look on her face dat I'd never, ever, seen before.

"Ya better let it out, child," I told her, ". . . or yer gonna bust somethin'." She put her hands over her eyes.

She squeaked in a very tiny voice. "I am so terribly sorry, Grim." Then she burst into tears.

What began as a series of hackin' sobs, slowly grew into a mournful wail, then finally, a gut twistin' scream of anguish. If I had a heart, I would have torn it out of me chest, ripped it apart, and stuffed the pieces into me ears.

By now the whole chapel had emptied out into the parkin' lot to witness the spectacle. I was beginnin' to feel self-conscious, so I brought Mandy to her parents, and left her in their good hands. Billy tried his best to console her, but she wouldn't have any of it. After a while, he put his hands over his own eyes, and began to cry as well.

I turned to leave once more, takin' a last look towards the chapel. There, at the entrance, stood a figure in mournin' black, holdin' Max's ashes. Lilith, his mother, and a true descendent of Delphi. I could tell she bade me no ill will, and she bowed slightly to acknowledge my presence. I returned her bow before movin' on.

Guess I won't be findin' out what happened to Max's soul after all. Besides, me ribs were beginnin' to ache somethin' fierce.

The police found Irwin's car in another county, parked on a high bridge. They assumed he had committed suicide out of remorse, but never found his body. I knew better. He was still out there . . . somewhere. He jes' wasn't "Irwin," anymore.

**End Chapter 5**

**A/N: ". . . a time to laugh, . . . a time to weep." From Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8. Or the Byrds, "Turn, Turn, Turn." Your choice. Thought I'd get Mandy to cry since she came so close in "Big Boogie Adventure" but never did.**

**In the episode "Heartburn," Irwin reveals he has an evil side, but learned to suppress it. Mandy unleashes it by dismissing him once too often.**

**Irwin is still out there, but his evil side has taken over, and he has morphed into something else. I'll keep this one open for now, just in case I feel ambitious enough to write a different arc.**


	6. Chapter 6 Aftermath

**I do not own any of the characters from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy!**

**A/N: Mandy's POV. What does Mandy think about all that has transpired? Read and find out.**

**The Other Side of Mandy**

**Chapter 6: Aftermath**

**Mandy's Diary**

**_Dear Diary_ **. . . I had a hard time starting again . . . _It's been three weeks since Max's funeral, and the Prozac is finally beginning to kick in. For a while, I was mindless, sniffling, vegetable from my nervous breakdown. Then I became suicidal, even slit my wrists a couple of times, but the cuts wouldn't bleed, and they healed instantly. Must be because of this wizard's life-force that he gave to me. I wanted to join him, wherever he was, but now I couldn't. The doctors decided to put me on anti-depressants, but I think I'm getting over it on my own._

_ I can't help but think back to our last night together. We were supposed to cuddle that night, but I fell asleep on the sofa, and he must have carried me to his bed. When I awoke, he was sleeping at my side, half sitting on the floor, his face right next to mine. I woke him, and made him get into the bed with me._

_ I rolled away from him, across the bed, still playing my "game," and trying to be coy. He reached out, and put his hand over my heart. "You know I'm yours, Mandy," he told me, "will you be __satisfied with that knowledge for just one more night?" My heart skipped a beat, and I took his hand in mine. Cuddling would keep me warm that night, so I rolled back towards him, and into his arms. "Yes." I replied. But if I had only known. I never understood what he really meant until now, and I never even got to kiss him._

_ What a difference a day had made. One day we were cousins, . . . best, best friends. The next day, we were on the verge of becoming something much more. I knew I wanted him then, but there was that mission of his. That damn mission. I never realized for a second, that it was all about me._

_ Grim asked Billy to leave me alone for awhile, which is fine since I've locked myself in my room for the past two weeks. Grim also told me that a person's name will appear only once in his black book, and will disappear upon that person's death, never to be seen again. He said by doing what he did, Max made me immortal, by first letting me die, then bringing me back to life, because my name will never again be seen in his book. It's little solace if Max isn't around to share my life with me._

_ School is going to start up soon, and I just can't go back acting like some blubbering idiot. I have a reputation to maintain. Crud. Who am I kidding. Everyone who saw me crying my eyes out at the funeral must have an entirely different impression of me by now._

_ He saved me because I was his only cousin, but now I'm the only one left. He knew he was going to die, damn him. I took off the heart pendant he bought for me, even though I told him I'd never take it off. I just couldn't stand to look at it anymore. I miss him so much. Here we go again with the tears. Guess I'll have to stop writing for now, or my teardrops are going to wash out the ink. _**_Mandy_**

I put my diary away and lay back down on the bed once more, watching listlessly as the sunlight slowly left the room, taking with it the shadows that had crawled across the floor. At least I got a whole page written this time. I still have the strip of photos he and I took in that photo booth. They're the most recent pictures I have of me and him together. Guess I should put these away, also. Eventually I'll have to get out there and face the world once more. Mom says Aunt Lilith is coming over for dinner. Haven't seen her since the funeral. I don't know if I can face her, since Max died because of me. *sigh*

It's 7:30. I haven't moved from this spot since I put my diary away. Aunt Lilith must have arrived because I hear voices downstairs. May as well go and meet her.

**Aunt Lilith**

I opened my bedroom door, only to find her standing right in front of me, with my parents behind her.

"Hello, Mandy." She turned to my parents and, with a nod, they go back downstairs.

"Aunt Lilith . . .!"

"Call me Lily, please."

"Aunt Lily, aren't you here for dinner?"

"Actually, your mom asked me over to have a talk with you." I looked into her face and begin to weep again. She reminds me so much of . . . him.

My aunt took me into her arms, and held me tightly. I felt my tears running down my cheeks once more, and I sobbed softly. I bit my bottom lip, hoping it would stop. She placed her cheek alongside mine, and whispered into my ear.

"There now, Mandy. Haven't you mourned for him long enough? He would never have wanted to see you so sad." she spoke, tenderly.

"But he's gone because of me. He gave me what was left of his life-force. I'm the one responsible for him dying!"

"No no! Don't blame yourself. You're alive because this is what he wanted for you." she said as she slowly pulled away from me. "May I come in?"

"Um . . . certainly." She stepped into my room and inhaled deeply. I never paid much attention to my aunt when I was younger, although I was well aware of the fact that she was a bit . . . unusual, . . . spooky even. She removed her shoes, and walked through the carpet, bare-foot, stopping short of the spot where Max and I shared a sleeping bag. She looked down at it, and smiled.

"I feel his presence in here."

"Well, he did stay here for a visit." I told her, staring blankly at the floor. Aunt Lily turned to face me.

"Did Max ever tell you that it was he and I who first came to paint this room for you? You were only three at the time. It was Max who picked out the color!"

"I didn't know that. He never mentioned it."

"That is why you favor pink so much! This room looks very much the same as when we first painted it!" She seemed amazingly happy for someone who had just lost her only child.

"I can feel him in here, and it makes me happy!" I knew she was an oracle, but she said that right on cue. She fascinated me, and for the first time in weeks, I began to feel a little better.

"Is he here to watch over me?" Aunt Lily shook her head.

"No, my dear," she smiled, ". . . it is you, who watches over him."

"What do you mean?" I asked. My aunt looked around the room and saw the two pieces of rose quartz on my shelf. I went to fetch them for her. I hadn't looked at them for a couple of weeks, but I noticed something different right away. The figure in the heart pendant was gone! Only the towel remained, as if it had been discarded on the floor. I looked into the larger crystal, and there, on the bed, was the missing figure, tucked away between the sheets. I held the two crystals up to my aunt.

"Aunt Lily . . . ?" She took the stones from me, and held them to her breast.

"This story is not yet over. You've a very important part to play. He sleeps. He waits for you to awaken him. Would you like to see him again?" she asked.

"Yes! But . . . how?" I began to cry once more. Aunt Lily smiled.

"Wizardry, alchemy. This is the path you must take."

"But isn't wizardry a guy thing?" A voice came up from behind me.

"Technically, a woman would be considered a sorceress, but we're a very informal group." I spun around to face the voice. Behind me stood a middle-aged gentleman in a gray corduroy suit, with a matching, manicured, salt-and-pepper beard. He looked for all the world like Sean Connery, except with hair.

"You were expecting, maybe, an 'Albus Dumbledore'?" he smiled.

"Mandy, this is Galen, senior wizard, and head of the First Order." said my aunt.

"Hello." I said, and he bowed politely.

"Pleased to meet you, Mandy."

"Max told me that all the other wizards were really old guys. I wasn't expecting to see someone as young as you. You don't appear to be much older than my aunt." He gave out a chuckle, then cleared his throat.

"Ahem! Did he say that? I guess I'll have to bring it up to him when I see him again. For the time being, we will be a member short. Would you be interested in becoming an apprentice?" He studied me with a pair of piercing, gray-green eyes. "You are well qualified already since you are also descended of the Delphi Oracles. I sense your abilities are just coming to light. Are you up for the challenge, young lady?"

"Yes!" I answered without any hesitation.

"Then, welcome to our club!"

**The Mission: Notes from Max's Journal**

_Every wizard who enters the Order, is given a mission, a task, to test his mettle. It's not all __about magical knowledge, but also entails strategy, planning, and problem solving. The mission can __be one of the wizard's own choosing, or it can be assigned by the other members of the Order. I had selected one of my own: Bring back the dead._

_ It's actually quite easy to do. The hard part is getting away unscathed. There are consequences to deal with. After life leaves a body, the soul follows exactly one minute later, unless the body is vaporized, or otherwise totally destroyed, in which case the soul has no choice but to linger in that spot until collected by the Reaper. The life-force, once it has left a body, cannot be captured and returned. It simply dissipates into thin air. Only then can an infusion of a fresh supply from another live source be used (side note: if the subject is human, then the source must be human as well). Unfortunately, to do so will cause the live source to die. All will be for naught if the body is left unattended for longer than a minute, because by then, the soul will have left, and a living body without a soul becomes a vegetable, or even worse, a revenant. **Max**_

_ Unless the life-force is extremely strong, as our wizard's life-force is, the transfer will invariably result in death for the donor. The trick then will be to preserve one's own soul by transferring it at the very last moment to a place of safe haven. A soul could thus be retained indefinitely until a new body can be replicated by alchemical, magical, or biological means._

_ I should be able to affect a transfer of half my wizard's life-force with no ill effects to me, so long as I'm totally healthy. A simple plan, but there is always the possibility of something going wrong. If I am to succeed, I will need a plan "B", and even then, there are no guarantees. I'll first need to develop a potion that will transfer exactly half of my life-force, and no more. I cannot practice on anyone. It must work the first time, or we may both end up dead. **Max**_

**End Chapter 6**

**A/N: I started out this chapter with a page from Mandy's diary, and ended it with an entry from Max's journal. Just thought I'd throw it in at the ending here, since I couldn't find a place for it in the story. It was too short to be considered a chapter on it's own, and if I had put it in too early, it would have given away a part of the story.**

**By now you must realize that Mandy's heart pendant was the "safe haven" that Max describes in his journal notes. As I had noted in an earlier chapter, a wizard's life-force is four times that of a normal person. Since Max lost half of that in the accident, the potion he had created was designed to transfer the equivalent of two regular lives, leaving him with none.**

**I also came up with my own idea of why Mandy wears pink all the time!**

**For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past decade, Albus Dumbledore is a character from J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series. Just sayin'.**

**And yes, Prozac takes that long before you start feeling the effects . . . How do I know?! . . . because . . . because . . . it says so on the side of the box! So there!**

**My Wiccan friends inform me that there is no such a thing as a "wizardress." "Sorceress" being the more acceptable term.**

**A revenant, for those of you who don't play MtG, is a fancy word for "zombie."**


	7. Chapter 7 The New Order

**I do not own any of the characters from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy!**

**A/N: Finally, the last chapter! In Mandy's POV.**

**The Other Side of Mandy**

**Chapter 7: The New Order**

**Epilogue:**

Max's soul had resided in the pink crystal for two years now, and I had since become a member of the First Order. I was the first female to be admitted into the group since it's inception over two thousand years ago. I was considered a sorceress, there being no such designation as "wizardress."

Aunt Lily let me stay at Max's condo while I studied as an apprentice. His library of magical books was rather large, and I couldn't be dragging them back and forth to my house all the time. There were pictures of him all over, and they were of great comfort to me whenever I felt sad or discouraged. I spoke to them as if he was still here, guiding me through the steps.

The time was approaching to use what I had learned from the old masters, and my mission was to return Max to this world, exactly the way he was. My fellow wizards were excellent teachers, and very serious about their craft. They were incredibly patient with me, and must have been doubly so with Max, judging from the stories each of them had of him. He was an exceptional student though, and they admired him for his perseverance.

Since he had given me the equivalent of two normal human lives, I would use a like amount to restore him.

My aunt and I had cleared out an area on the penthouse garden of the complex, where the other six wizards would sit in attendance, and aid in the ritual if necessary. Galen and Aunt Lilith stood at my side, and brought forth the two items that I needed for the spells, those being the pink crystal, and a lock of Max's hair, which he had set aside for this day.

He must have had great faith in me. Either that, or he didn't want to wake up to find out he failed in the attempt to bring me back. I actually remember very little of that day, the day he and I both died, and only Grim was able to give me a description of how bloodied I was after the accident. The paramedics couldn't understand how there could be so much blood without finding a scratch on me, or that Max had died without a single apparent injury. It remained a mystery to them, but he was listed as an organ donor and as such, he was sent off quickly to be harvested for his body parts. I imagine he was pretty healthy, so they must have gotten their moneys worth out of him.

I woke up in the hospital, as if I had gone to sleep in my own bed, but woke up somewhere else. They wouldn't release me right away despite my cursing and carrying on, but the doctors couldn't find a single thing wrong, so they had little choice but to sign off on me.

The five remaining members of our elite group arrived as expected, silently through a magical portal, and dressed in their finest robes. They were only here to observe, and assist if they had to, but I was sure I had things under control. Galen and my aunt stood close by as I began the ritual lighting of the candles. It wasn't really necessary, but it made for a good show, especially since everyone was here, and dressed for the occasion. When you're out in the field with a dragon nipping at your ass, you wouldn't have time for all this ceremonial crap. You had better have your spells at your fingertips, which is why we wear rings instead of carrying wands. Who the hell has time to pull a wand out of their sleeve when an ogre attacks, anyway? An ogre is just as likely to stuff it up your nose before you can swing around! And if it broke on you, then it was useless, and you would be dead meat.

But then again, this wasn't battle magic. This was alchemy in it's purest form, and time was needed to ensure that the proper ingredients and incantations were ready. In my hand was the potion that Max had created to free up half of my life-force for the transfer. I swallowed it quickly to start, then closed my eyes and began the spell which would return Max to the world once more. Aunt Lily placed the two items on the altar as I spoke the words and made the appropriate hand gestures. A ball of amethyst light engulfed the quartz crystal, and Max's lock of hair. The crystal shattered, releasing his soul into the air, followed closely by the last bits of his physical body. Within the ball, the two merged, spinning round and round like a miniature galaxy, until a figure appeared, that of a child. It was the beginning of Max's rebirth, and would stop at whatever the age of the hair was when he cut it. The child grew larger and larger, until the cocoon of light was filled to the brim. At that point the light began to dim, and Max's form was now complete, drifting slowly downward to the altar. He was naked.

My aunt threw a blanket over him, which she had brought for the purpose of covering him up. The other wizards applauded as I had accomplished the mission I had set out to do. They came up to congratulate me, and a few of the older ones went to blow out the candles like this was some big birthday cake. Makes me wonder if they shouldn't have retired a couple of centuries ago. Galen seemed to have the same thoughts, as he smiled, and shook his head.

"Congratulations, Mandy. You've waited a long time for this, and now the cycle is complete."

"Yes. He brought me back to life, and I have finally returned the favor."

"You've become quite the sorceress!" He walked up to Max and placed a hand on his chest. "He is still trying to shake off the effects of being in suspended animation. It may take an hour or so. We will all leave now, and I'm sure we'll see him soon enough. We leave him in your capable hands! Get some rest, you both look tired!" With that, he and the others bowed politely, and disappeared back to their respective corners of the world.

Aunt Lily leaned forward and greeted Max back with a kiss to his temple. "Welcome home, my son." she whispered. I just stood by, momentarily awed by what I had done. It seemed so surreal that I was afraid to touch him, fearing this was all a dream, and if I touched him, he would turn to dust and be scattered to the four winds. My aunt sensed my hesitation, and took my hand, placing it on his shoulder. "He is real, Mandy, you've done a wonderful job."

I ran my fingertips along his arm, feeling the smooth skin that I had longed for all these years. I was giddy with anticipation . . . I wanted to see that tattoo of his! I slowly raised the blanket up to his hip, where I had last seen it. If he was fully restored, it should still be there. Aunt Lily smiled, rolled her eyes up, and looked the other way. In my excitement I had forgotten his _mother_ was standing at my side! I blushed furiously, but there was no turning back. Tattooed on his hip was my name, surrounded on four sides by arcane alchemical symbols, all in mirror image. It was the incantation he needed to transfer his life-force to me. I sighed, and lowered the blanket back down.

"I'm ready now."

"Let's get him downstairs, and into his bed." said Aunt Lily.

I waved my hands over him to levitate him off the altar, one of the more useful abilities that I learned during my time with the wizards. We transported him to the penthouse elevator, and brought him back into his unit. We placed him onto his bed, and as soon as we did, the look on his face changed, as if he recognized the feel of it right away. He smiled contentedly in his sleep, and rolled onto his side. I breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to my aunt.

"He's finally home again. It's been a long time coming." I said, and then hugged her. She and I were now the same height. I had hardly noticed since I was so preoccupied with my own studies, and my wizard's apprenticeship.

"Thank you, Mandy. This is all due to your hard work and undying love for him." she whispered into my ear. I could see the trail of tears that ran down her face.

She helped me undo my wizard's robe, and removed it from my shoulders. From being one of the most powerful sorcerers on Earth, I return to being just another teenage girl.

"You've become quite lovely now," she said, "he'll be pleased to see you." As an oracle, my aunt was very honest, and she could be brutally so if the situation warranted it. "He needs to get up . . . _now_! Or else he'll sleep through tomorrow if we let him. I know you have a few tricks up your sleeve, Mandy!" She chuckled, and flashed me a knowing grin.

I knew just what to do, though it might seem a little harsh. I went into the kitchen and filled a pitcher with some ice cubes, rock salt, and a little bit of water. It was a very simple concoction. The addition of the salt lowered the freezing point of the ice, making it even colder! Something I learned in science class! I poured the mixture into a plastic storage bag, and rushed back into the bedroom. Max was still curled up in a ball, so I got behind him and slapped the ice pack on his back. His eyes immediately flew open, and he arched his back.

_**"Eeyowtch!"**_ he hollered, _**"Sonuva . . . !"**_ He grimaced, then saw his mother right in front of him. "Oh . . . hi Mom!" he said, embarrassed by his outburst.

"Hello, Max . . ." She was clearly too choked up to say anything more, let alone try to stifle a laugh. With her tears now flowing freely, she threw her arms around him, and held him like she would never let go. I looked away and felt like I was intruding on this very private moment. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I walked over to the bathroom to dump the ice pack in the sink, and stared at my reflection in the mirror. It's been two years since he last saw me, and I had grown another four inches in height, while filling out my figure a bit more. I had let my hair grow longer, down past my shoulders, and had abandoned my "horns," although they still draped over my back now like a pair of claws. His own appearance was the same. Essentially he was still nineteen, while I was now fifteen.

Would he accept me as being older, a little more mature? Or would he prefer the cynical misanthrope that I used to be. I can't go back to that. Being around my fellow wizards changed me, and I began to trust people more. I lost my insecurities, and gained confidence from their teachings. Still, love is a funny little virus which makes your legs grow weak and ties your tongue . . . and brings back those insecurities you thought you had gotten rid of.

"Mandy?" My aunt's voice jarred me from my thoughts. "Sorry, dear, but he's asking for you. I need a little rest myself, so I'll be lying down in the next room."

"Sure Aunt Lily, I'll take over now."

I went back into the bedroom, turned the lights down, and sat next to him on the bed. It was on this same bed we had spent our last night together, and I smiled inwardly to myself. He was no longer curled up, but instead lay stretched out on his back. After a minute or so, he opened his eyes, turned towards me, and smiled.

"Hi . . . is Mandy here?" he said softly. Dejavu.

"Stupid, . . . it's me." I said, as my voice began to crack. He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, almost as if he didn't recognize me.

"You look . . . different. Is it your hair?" He sounded a little weak, but still had that disarming smile of his, and I was glad.

"You've been in stasis for a couple of years. I've changed." I said, and reached for his hand.

"You've certainly become much prettier than I remember." Max continued to study me. "I-I can't read you anymore. I seem to have lost the ability." A subtle sadness appeared in his eyes, though he continued to smile.

"You must have transferred it to me along with your life-force. I wondered where it came from. I'm sure you'll regain everything as you rebuild your strength. What's to know anyway? I think you already know me inside and out."

We stared at each other for what seemed like forever, and I knew I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I leaned forward, taking him into a deep embrace.

"I've missed you _so_ much." I sobbed.

He placed his chin into the crook of my neck, and planted a soft kiss there. "Are we . . . cuddling tonight?" I didn't answer as I was so happy to finally have him back.

Max began to run his fingers through my hair. Ever so gently, he grasped a handful, and brought it up to his face.

"Mmm. Smells nice," he inhaled deeply, ". . . rosemary and sage. A wizard's ritual?"

"A _Returning Ritual_." I whispered, as I sat up once more. Max also sat up, looking me in the eye as he grabbed for my left hand, and felt the ring on my finger. He was very much surprised.

"The Order's signet ring! You're a wizard now?"

"Sorceress. With you gone, the Order was a member short. You had left a trail of clues as to where you might be if your plan 'A' didn't work, and a blueprint on how to bring you back, but I couldn't make heads or tails out of all your alchemical notations, so the wizards took me in as an apprentice. Returning you from 'soul stasis' was _my_ mission!"

"And were you able to put my body back together, the way it was?"

"Pretty much!" I smiled confidently. Max looked himself over, and then under the blanket.

"So, . . . I have a tail, now?" After all this time, he's still such a clown. I swear.

"You do _not_ have a tail!" I grinned.

"And how would you know that?" he smirked.

"I saw _everything_ while you were coalescing!"

"_You saw me naked?!_ That's not fair!"

"Grim said you kissed me in order to transfer your life-force. I was dead at the time and didn't feel your kiss, so that wasn't fair either!" I shrugged.

"Then, . . . kiss me."

"Say what?" I could hardly believe I was hearing this!

"If you kiss me, then strip naked, you and I will be all squared away!" he chuckled. I also couldn't believe we were having this conversation! Two years ago, we were both dead, and now he's acting as if nothing ever happened. I pounced on him, pinning his shoulders to the bed.

"Will you shut up already? I just need a cuddle for now!" A look of disappointment came across his face.

"Ahhh. It's that vow of celibacy, isn't it? I forgot about that. I'm no longer a member of the Order," he sighed, ". . . and you're not even allowed to kiss me."

"About that vow . . .?" I could hardly restrain myself from laughing. "Galen and the others made that up as a joke, just for you, because you were such a brat, and so much younger than all of them. They never thought for a second that you wouldn't catch on, but you maintained the vow all these years, and that showed them how dedicated you were. They let it go on because they felt it kept you focused."

"Why those _rotten old farts_!" he laughed, "And I bought into it, too!"

I brought my face closer to his, and placed a kiss lightly on his lips. He looked at me curiously, as he brought his hands up along the sides of my waist.

"Going slowly, are we?"

"Well, you're not going anywhere real soon, and I'm immortal now. I've got all the time in the world to get this right!"

"Virgin . . .?" he smirked.

"Damn right! And proud of it, too!" I lowered myself to his chest and nuzzled him contentedly, relishing the feel of his warm skin. I had forgotten he was still without clothes, but he didn't seem to mind at all . . . and _I_ didn't care!

"Good night, Mandy." he whispered, as his arms began to encircle me.

"Good night, my love," I responded, ". . . and by the way, . . . I _still_ own you!"

**The End**

**A/N: This was never intended to be a full on romance, so I'm sorry if I disappointed you with this ending. I wanted to keep it sweet and simple, with just a hint . . . maybe.**

**I must thank Redfang 119 for faving my story (my one and only!) as Grim and Evil stories get relatively little traffic. Thanks!**

**I also apologize for taking so long to post this chapter, especially since I had it already written out. Unfortunately after re-reading it, I decided it could do with a face-lift, and so I re-wrote the whole thing!**

**Regarding the Irwin follow-up, I'm still thinking about a story for him. Must think quickly because in another five years, no one will probably remember who the characters are.**

**I'm finally done with this one, and now I can sleep easier tonight!**


End file.
